Triple Threat
by Kuro.Jazz
Summary: A Naruto Fanfiction focusing on three shinobi of team that had split up four years ago. Read about how these ninja reunite, battle, and find friends, lose friends, and live the life of the shinobi.
1. A Mission

_Triple Threat_

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><p><em><strong>AN: Alright, my first story. I would love reviews, even if it's only about how to improve. The first five reviews get a character in the story; just tell me some info in a PM if you are one of the first five. <strong>_

_**I did make a picture of Team 13, which is located here(replace the (dot) with periods): **_

_**Akumu: divinearcher(dot)deviantart(dot)com/#/d3oiox**_

_**Zelkeal: divinearcher(dot)deviantart(dot)com/#/d3eojzu**_

_**Jazz: divinearcher(dot)deviantart(dot)com/#/d3eol0u**_

_**Anyways, thanks for reading! Tell me what you think!**_

_**All characters and locations that have anything to do with Naruto or Naruto Shippuden © Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**Any other characters/jutsu © **_

_First Threat_

_That couldn't be…Is it?_ I shifted my eyes, back to the empty forest, then back to the tree bark. I released the hand sign and forced chakra to my fingertips, pulling myself up and out of the hollow tree trunk. I pushed my red-tipped bang to the side until it held behind my green braid. I closed my eyes and dropped from the top of the tree, disintegrating into smoke as I fell, snapping my eyes open to the newcomer.

"Gaara! Temari and Kankuro!" My voice was cheery, my fang-y smile fake. As soon as Gaara's face stopped looking so irritated-only to hide the surprise-it faded to my normal half-pout and glazed eyes.

"Oh!...It's been awhile." Temari commented, clearly confused at who I was. Kankuro was having a hard time, too, though Gaara's face was as much of a mask it had ever been.

"I could see why you wouldn't recognize me. I have-" I was cut off by her exclamation.

"I know that _hitai-ate!_ You're…..Zelkeal-kun?" I couldn't help but laugh at the wrong honorific. I corrected her _–kun_ with a _–chan_ before continuing.

"Yeah. I decided to show my face after Akamaru told my secret. Pretty hurt after what Shiromaru did to him—Ignore me, I'm blabbering. Haven't seen anyone for awhile, been on this 'super secret scout' mission for three days now, just sittin' here watching for people…" I felt myself drone off, clearly annoying the Sand shinobi. It did cause the scenario I had wanted, though.

"We were sent on our own mission to Konoha. Would you like to escort us in? Wouldn't look so suspicious then." Kankuro explained in as patient a voice as he could muster.

"You guys are never suspicious in Konoha. Could walk right in with kunai's drawn and you'd still get a warm reception from Naruto." I decided to go with them anyways, looking forward to stretching my muscles. I jumped ahead of the trio, listening to them fall in behind.

Almost invisibly, I performed the two hand signs separately on each hand at my side, re-forming my two other clones, then creating one more where I had been sitting earlier. I closed my eyes and 'dropped,' falling and landing where I would have been if I had never stopped my fall earlier. I crossed three fingers, intertwining my thumb and little finger beneath, whispering, "Sleepwalking Jutsu," before spying on Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara. The clone I had previously made still held most of my chakra, running ahead of the others, looking exactly like I did.

I then averted my gaze to my two other clones, spotting Neji and Shikamaru examining one of them, Sakura the other. I let them fall into smoke, formed them into the kanji for follow, then slowly pulled it towards me. Being the non-cautious ninja they were, they came willingly, stepping right into my trap. Flames licked at the treetops, caging the three ninja. I pulled a ghost-like figure out of the fire, forming it into a Cloud ninja before having it speak.

"What kind of ninja are you? Following something like smoke without thinking twice, walking right into my trap!"

Shikamaru was the first to speak, "Nice try Zel. Neji's byakugan saw you before you re-initiated your jutsu!" I pulled the flame back in, jumping down from the tree branch. I checked at my other clone quickly, seeing that it had just arrived at the gates and gave a slight Zel-bow before taking off and returning to smoke.

"I knew I couldn't fool you, Shika-kun! Nice use of-" Again, I was annoyingly cut off.

"We're not here to have a good time." Neji began, "Lady Tsunade has a mission planned for us."

_Second Threat_

"Hmm? Who might that be?" A young silvery-white haired girl hopped in the window, walking around to the other side of the cot, sitting next to the older silver haired shinobi. She had to make sure to sweep her hair off to the side so she wouldn't have to sit on it. It fell over her _hitai-ate _, covering up the crossed out music note.

"Hello, brother." She kicked her legs, watching the sheet flutter in and out. "How are you? Still exhausted?"

"Yes. The battle tired me out and I haven't been able to completely restore my chakra yet. How did your mission go?"

"Is that who I think it is?"

"Hmm…What is it? Iruna-no..Iruka?" I questioned as the ninja entered the room.

"-sensei." He added, but I shook my head.

"Nope! Kakashi-kun has always been my teacher, then it was Orochimaru-sama."

"Where have you been? You just disappeared." I noted how the tone of his voice changed at the honorific.

"Doing what younger sisters do best-spy! But forget that, this is a private conversation-…" Iruka heard what I meant and closed the door. I listened until his footsteps and breathing were silent before answering Kakashi-kun.

"Well, I haven't been here in four years, a lot has changed. But I've learned a lot, too. I did know about the intrusion, but Kabuto had battled me when I left my ninja tools behind. I didn't stand a chance. Orochimaru still is up to his old plans, though."

"What about Uchiha Sasuke?"

"Ah, yes, one of you students, right Kakashi-kun?" A nod allowed me to continue, " He's strong, but his control over the curse mark still hasn't matched mine." I gripped my shoulder where the four four-pointed stars had been placed inside the two Anbu swirls. "He's strong though, and power-hungry. The Nine-tailed would have a difficult time beating him, even if it was fully released."

"Good job, Jazz. Now leave me be. I need rest if I ever want to get back to my team." As I went back over to the window, hair brushing the back of my knees, Kakashi-kun stopped me.

"Zel's back in town." I hid a smile as I flung myself out the door, flying across the rooftops in search of my old teammate.

_Third Threat_

The black cloaked figure stood in front of me, scythe held ready. He was in every aspect the _real _grim reaper, as all he brought was death and pain. Pain for me and death for everyone else. I attempted to dodge the black projectile he had just launched from his scythe, knowing that a realm if darkness couldn't stop darkness from the source.

"We are still weak. Our body cannot be as strong as it needs to be if-" He faded into shadows as two people walked into the scarred clearing. The death-inscribed scythe was now held in my outstretched hand, though it also disappeared like he had. He had no name, but he took mine. I knew him as Nightmare, though he didn't exist to anyone else. Anyone but one of the two standing in front of me and another, his 'avenger.' Now that our training session had finally faded, my vision had as well. I pulled the _hitai-ate_ down from my forehead to my eyes, the white cloth holding my black-tipped purple hair up. Being one of Nightmare's accomplices, I had the special Black Sight kekkei-genkai. Even though I was blind, I could still see the two men in front of me and the next two moves they will make. My family, the Tsukibaras, actually self-induced this darkness, whether it was with a forehead protector or a cloth, to see the next movements of the enemy. Of course, this didn't help me a year ago when I fought and lost to one of the Akatsuki. He was in front of me, as was the one who had been struggling on the ground beneath us. That was, of course, before he had forced me into forever darkness when he tested a new faulty jutsu on me.

I was young then, young and foolish. I had been watching a young blonde shinobi learn how to use the Rasengan, one of the few moves I had ever learned from the lazy Jiraya. He-being one of my old friends-walked up to me after I caught his friend, who used a great sword with which I couldn't battle, in my Nightmare jutsu. Expecting the man to fall as well, I was surprised to see that he didn't as I really didn't expect to see him again.

We had a fight, one of our old, no-deaths kind of match that kept either of us from inflicting any fatal attacks. As soon as I had his throat cornered with four kunai, I walked away, expecting to win until I was caught from behind in a nightmare-proof jutsu. I would have been as close to fatally injured as one of these fights could get and I was forced to surrender and join him on his journey to find who knows what.

He approached me now, standing over me as if he was better than me. Well, I guess he was.

"Yes, Itachi-sama?" I asked with as polite a tone as I could muster. He didn't even seem bothered even though a hint of a snarl was still hidden in my voice.

"You ruined you outfit. Again. These coats aren't easy to come by."

"I'm sure I can't make do with what I have. It's not like I'm a full-fledged member." I could feel how irritated my attitude made him. Kisame was snickering in the background.

"We're leaving in an hour for Konoha. Prepare yourself." With this, he disappeared, and when Kisame swung Sharkskin towards me, I blocked it with the scythe that materialized in my palm as I felt the pain of the sword via Black Sight, though it really didn't draw a single drop of blood.

"See you in an hour!" He taunted, though I resisted the urge to lock him in a Kuro Nightmare, a vast black space nearly inescapable.

**_AN: Tell me what you think and Review Review Review! _**

**_I hope I got all of the character's personalities right, if any of you guys see something I should change, tell me. Any criticism is entirely welcome, as are ideas, characters, and missions!_**


	2. A Spirit

_Triple Threat_

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><p><em><strong>AN: Second chapter! Just another step closer to five!(Nice goal, right?)<strong>_

_**Hope you guys liked the pictures of the Team. Working on a few more drawings of them sooo….**_

_**I'm going to keep on using First, Second, and Third Threats as their names…ties the title in more, don'cha think?**_

_**Sakura seems really sappy, huh? I could never really pinpoint her attitude, so you get sappy, crying Sakura. Live with it.**_

_**Spirit Eiri, Memory Takara, and Memory Abura©DesertMoon -The Obsession**_

_**Characters and Jutsu that don't exist in the anime/manga© KuroJazz**_

_**Enjoy it!(If you even care enough to read it) I'm going to try to post every Saturday if I don't finish two chapters by then. Depends on how I'm feeling that day and if I like the chapter.**_

_First Threat_

I stood up straight in front of Lady Tsunade, Neji and Sakura to my left and right. I had never been on a mission with Sakura before, but Neji was a common battle partner. With no team to go out on missions with, I was crammed with Neji, Lee, and Tenten. I had heard someone else was coming along, and I waited patiently for the fourth member to walk in. I almost expected it to be Akane-sensei, but he was out on one of his secret Anbu missions.

I was almost surprised-almost because someone as lazy as me doesn't get surprised often-when a young-looking girl with sparkling ice blue eyes and long silvery-white hair walked in, closing the door before turning around and smiling warmly at me. _No. Just _no._ She left four long years ago to join Orochimaru and his gang._ Jazz, my old teammate from Squad 13, was standing right in front of me, traitorous smile upon her face. She wanted to hug me, and, deep down, I wanted a nice, long, welcome-back hug too, but the freaked-out-face-covered-by-a-broken-mask look I wore kept her from moving closer. Lady Tsunade interrupted the silence,

"Hatake Jazz. You have just returned from an extended mission, but I have chosen you to rejoin your teammate on this important mission." She shifted her gaze to me, "Inuzuka Zelkeal. Your scouting mission was a failure. One of the shinobi you were to look out for passed right beneath your watch. You should be ashamed of yourself. Do not make a fool of yourself again." She then looked to my left, where Neji stood, "Hyuuga Neji. You also have just come back from a mission that has supplied enough information for me to launch this one. Haruno Sakura." She looked across my red-fanged face, over to my right and Sakura, "You have been chosen to go on this mission to _only _take care of the injured. I made sure to choose strong jonin to accompany you on this mission."

I listened to this. What mission was Jazz on? Why did Lady Tsunade trust her so quickly and how did she know she was a strong jonin? I mentally shook my head, paying attention to Lady Tsunade once again.

"Reports of recent deaths show the victim to have struggled with something invisible, as the only other chakra traces found are of darkness lodged in long, slash-like marks all around the victim. Two chakras have been identified as members of the Akatsuki. The third-"

"No. My two teammates just don't show up like that, all in a day. It's a false sighting or a fake jutsu. Akumu is dead." With that, I left, even when Neji and Sakura called after me. Jazz remembered-even from all those years ago- that once my temper caught flame, only more fire could calm it. I needed to get away from Konoha-maybe towards Suna- and just set my fire loose.

_Second Threat_

I watched Zel go, wondering what made her hate me so much. Oh. I had seemingly left to join Orochimaru and his forces. I bet Zel had even wondered where I was during the assassination. I didn't bother trying to stop her like Neji or Sakura, instead, I twirled around and in a whoosh of icy wind, I was gone. I spied on Kakashi-kun quickly, to see he was resting, before reappearing in an alleyway. Thick, freezing blasts caused frost to form on the walls as the wind spun out and released its hold on me.

I exited the alleyway, spotting a blonde kid sitting where I once had at Ichiraku. I lifted the curtain and walked in, sitting next to the kid who was gulfing down ramen like there was no tomorrow. I ordered a plain bowl of ramen, watching the kid out of the corner of my eye. When a bowl was set down before me I grabbed chopsticks and began eating orderly, trying to make a point the kid didn't take.

"Nice to see you again, Jazz-san. Same taste as ever, huh?"

"Yeah, guess you can't shake old habits." I nodded my head to him, keeping an eye on the kid. I decided to get his attention, so I forced a chilly wind down his back. This caused him to shiver before noticing I was there.

"Who are you?" He asked, with a mouthful of ramen still puffing his cheeks.

"Hatake Jazz. Extraordinary Jonin of The Sound-Leaf." I exaggerated my title, smiling at the kid.

"Hatake?" he asked, swallowing, "I know that name…" He stopped to think and I smiled on the inside before interrupting his thinking.

"And you are?" I took a bite of ramen, making the familiar taste last.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" He gave me an odd thumbs up, making me think of Zel's bow. She wouldn't even bother greeting me with it, though I had seen her leave the Sand ninja she didn't even like with it.

"Uh..Hel-" He cut me off as he remembered.

"Hatake Kakashi! That's it! Kakashi-sensei has the same surname."

"Yep. He's my older brother."

"Older brother! Kakashi-sensei has an sister?" Naruto seemed even more surprised than I thought.

"Yep, I-" I was getting annoyed by this kid.

"Wait… Isn't that a Sound headband?" Boy this guy was _slow._

"Yeah." I was expecting the short answer to end the conversation, but the kid kept talking! I regretted ever trying to talk to him. I ate my ramen quickly, leaving the yen on the table before sweeping myself away in the wind. I landed just outside of Konoha, using the after-effect to uncover the violin and bow from the earth. I slid the bow behind my head into its ice blue sheath. I pulled my chakra from the violin itself and it disappeared in a gust of wind.

I decided to wait by the entrance until Zel came back and was surprised to see Haruno Sakura standing there, looking worried.

"What happened?" I looked at her, wondering what was so wrong.

"Well, there was a big poof of smoke that just kept coming, and Neji said he wanted to investigate-"

"Hold on, someone's out there? With Zel?"

"Z-Zel? Zel did that?"

"I have to get out there, Zel can't-" I didn't bother finishing,instead I took off to save time. I wish I knew how long Neji had been out there, but she would have just dragged it on…People in Konoha really like to talk, huh? I could have teleported out there with the wind, but I needed to be cautious and stealthy and a big gust of wind wouldn't be very inconspicuous now would it?

_Third Threat_

Almost as soon as Itachi and Kisame left, Nightmare was there again. Behind him, a transparent, blonde-haired kid stood nervously.

"Who's that?" I asked warily as I lifted my _hitai-ate_ to clear my vision.

"One of the people we killed when we inspired the Kansei villagers to become shinobi."

"I thought you said the only deaths that would come out of that would be normal ninja deaths. The people in the village should have been more protected with the ninja-" I couldn't help but exclaim this, wondering how many other people I killed.

"His death was a normal ninja death. It also helped weaken the Sand when two strong shinobi were paralyzed by sorrow for their dead teammate." The kid standing behind was having trouble holding in what he wanted to say, and with this he blurted it out.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?"

"That girl there killed you. Go show her how that makes you feel." Nightmare commanded in a raspy voice laced with death. The kid's gaze met mine and it caused me to take a step back. I couldn't pull a kunai up fast enough to block his own, sharper knife. It drew blood as I winced. I tried to manifest the Dead Scythe, but it wouldn't come. That's when I noticed Nightmare was holding it. The kid's next attack was blocked by a kunai, and I held him just long enough to ask him a question.

"What's your name?"

"Eiri-kun." I almost laughed at the honorific tacked on to the end of his own name, but he stopped me with a senbon to the shoulder.

"Nightmare! He looks like a genin, how is he so strong?"

"He _is _a genin, but in this Spirit Realm, every Ninja Soul fights at his strongest, even if he was never this strong when he lived."

"But _I'm _a Ninja Soul here, too, why can't I fight as strong as he can?" I was exasperated now, and exhausted from the many attacks the kid threw at me, whether it was shuriken, kunai, or senbon.

"Because this is the strongest we'll be if we keep ignoring training."

I focused on the fight now, but as soon as I returned my gaze to Eiri, my eyes met his and he pointed a kunai right between my eyes. That's when I saw it. The place he wished he was. The people he wished he was fighting. Not fighting, but training with. I spoke now, holding my gaze.

"Would Takara kill me? Would Abura steal my life? When I didn't even know I caused this?" I forced myself to pull the memory from the Spirit's mind and split it into two shadow-like objects, forming them into the Ninja Soul's teammates. I forced them to speak in unison, straining myself to control the fragments of the kid's dreams.

"Don't do it Eiri-kun. She doesn't deserve to die. You wouldn't wish this life on anyone else, would you?" Tears welled up in the Spirit's eyes.

"Takaaaaaaraaa-chaaaaaaan! Aburaaaaaaa-kuuuuuuun!" Spirit Eiri ran up to the two, dropping his kunai, and hugged them, causing them to disappear into shadows. _At least he left happy._

_**AN: Thanks for the use of Spirit Eiri, DesertMoon! I used his memories to draw in Takara and Abura, just for a second, and credited them to you, too.**_

_**Anyways, sorry for Sappy Sakura. Writing about Naruto was fun. Jazz clearly doesn't like people who talk a lot, but she does it too, so its funny.**_

_**Thanks for everyone who is reading this! Send me a PM, review, or take the poll to tell me whether you are reading it and if you like it!**_


	3. A Flame

_Triple Threat_

_**AN: Hey everyone!**_

_**I'm supposed to be drawing Zel and her team, but the fanfic was calling to me, so you get another chapter.**_

_**Long one on Zel this time, so the other two will be shorter(probably).**_

_**Any Jutsu/Characters not existent in the anime/manga © KuroJazz**_

_First Threat_

The four trees closest to me were already charred and had covered me in a shower of ashes. I was too preoccupied with burning down the rest of the trees, blackening the ground and leaving a long trail of smoke floating up into the dark, twilight sky. When another chakra showed up a little ways away, just on the edge of my flames, I never even noticed it.

I watched the flames jump around my feet, grabbing at the tree stump. I stopped, holding them back, then thought about it and allowed them to envelope me, breathing in the smoke that blossomed around me. A quick gust of wind almost had me snapping at Jazz for interrupting my release, but stopped when the pale blue eyes of a fellow shinobi met mine. These were strained by veins, not silver hair.

"N-Neji-kun!" I was barely able to restrict the flames from burning his clothes, his skin. They held off behind me, returning to my skin and feeding off my chakra. The edges of my clothes had a dusting of ash and a slight burnt look from the flame.

"Are you all right, Zel-chan?" Neji's eyes were only slightly wider than usual, as he was used to both my limited and unlimited sources of fire.

"Yeah…" I pulled a black jacket from the fire, slipping the ash-made sleeves off before pulling over my shoulders. I sat back down. diminishing the fire and slouching on the burnt stump. "I'm sorry for taking off like that…Four years ago, both my teammates left me here in Konoha, four months apart from each other. They treated me like a little sister, as I was accepted into the Academy a year early and was always a year younger than them.

"I never believed in miracles, yet, all at once, both my teammates are found. It doesn't make any sense!" I gripped my head again, forcing the flames to stay burning embers.

"It's not a miracle. It's destiny. You couldn't change your fate if you wanted. It was all decided when you were born. No, before that." Neji-kun rambled on, but I interrupted him, as he was looking just as depressed as I felt.

"Thanks Nej-kun. I needed that." I stood up and walked toward him, placing my hand on his shoulder and turning him around. I refrained from really messing with him like I wanted to. His tan jacket didn't need a smearing of black, no matter how friendly I meant it to be. "We do have a mission to go on, right?" I grabbed his hand then and couldn't help but chuckle at his surprise. I pulled him along, enjoying every moment of it.

"You seem-" I cut him off again, feeling a lot like the blonde headed Uzumaki Naruto.

"Lighter? Yeah, letting loose does that to me. It's my best feeling-reliever." I smiled back at him, glad it was him who had come and not Jazz or Sakura.

"Isn't this the wrong way?" Neji was too smart to be hanging around with people from Konoha. Anyone else except Shika-kun wouldn't have noticed.

"I need to make a stop." About twenty-five kilometers west of where we had been standing was where I was headed. I kept pulling him along behind me, no doubt leaving a black mark behind. When we arrived at the towering oak tree, I stopped Neji on a thick branch.

"Nej-kun, this is my Sleeping Tree. It is also my home and my secret base. Only my teammates and Akane-sensei know about this tree. Don't tell _anyone_ where it is or what is inside it." I gazed sternly at him and he nodded briskly.

I ran my hand across a part of the tree, focusing my chakra and ordering, "Open." The bark shimmered out of sight, and the genjutsu released.

"Just duck your head and cram in." I didn't want Neji to have to be crushed in the small space, but it was the only way. I _did _want him to see my home, right? I ducked inside and forced chakra into my hand so I could pull myself high enough that Neji could fit in. Once I felt him beneath me I bit my thumb and placed it on an intricate carving on the inside as a poof of red smoke expanded the tree trunk and released the second genjutsu. Neji was standing on the wood floor while I dangled from a bar overhead. I swung myself past him, twisted, and landed three feet away, facing him. I spread my arms out, "What do you think?"

_Second Threat_

When I arrived at the charred site of Zel's release I sensed Neji's presence as well. I could feel that they were both alive and together someplace in the west. _Oh. Zel's sleeping tree._ _She must really trust Neji-kun to show him that place…but it was only a hollow tree, right?_

"Leave us alone." A fire clone rose from the still-hot embers, taking the form of the old Zel with her green hair falling down in front of her eyes, hiding them. Her black face mask reminded me of my brother's though it had nothing to do with her looking up to him. Zel didn't really look up to anyone…except for Neji-kun, probably. I rolled my eyes at the clone, not bothering to destroy it. I did take her warning, though, allowing the two love birds their privacy.

Sakura was still at the gate, but she seemed to have gotten a hold on her emotions since when I saw her. Probably the fact that the smoke had disappeared.

"And?" She asked, her eyes curious.

"Neji took care of Zel. They'll be back soon."

"Took care of? You mean he-" I couldn't help but laugh at her interpretation.

"No, he took care of her _temper_. She's fine, though probably tired from chakra exhaustion. Not any different than normal."

"Oh." I let myself fall back into the wind, reappearing atop the wall and looking out, easily spotting the black spot among the green where Zel let loose. I had actually been surprised to not see any paw marks, Zel must have more control.

_Third Threat_

I didn't have anything to bring, so I stayed right where I was, rearranging the red and black jacket that had been shredded. I fixed it, cutting away some more parts with the Dead Scythe, until it was a smaller jacket, showing the tight black undershirt. I was able to save the bottom half, so my black leggings were covered by a black skirt with a long cut to above the knee. So I could see, Nightmare had been kind enough to stay off to the side and allow me to use his scythe. Boy, Nightmare was going soft.

He had disappeared once I had finished, taking his scythe with him, probably to wash off all my 'weak germs.' So I was sitting down on a tree stump I had cut down, the moderately tall tree trunk laying behind me. I stared ahead, standing up and moving towards them when two white figures appeared, four more behind them, becoming more defined as they walked into the damaged clearing.

"You listened." It was a statement that required surprise, though Itachi-sama's voice stayed the same tone.

"Yes, Itachi-sama, that was our deal, wasn't it?" I asked him, watching as he shifted his stance. He shifted two more times, one after another. Black Sight could be dizzying, but the constant use had lifted its aftereffects.

"Our deal was that you would come with us, no more."

"But if you were mad at me, Itachi-sama, it wouldn't be as…" I was about to say enjoyable, but I didn't know if Itachi-sama enjoyed anything anymore. I let it drop, allowing him to return to the topic of the mission.

"One of the Akatsuki's targets is there. We are to examine his whereabouts, training, and weaknesses. Akumu, you shall take care of anyone who finds out about us." Itachi-sama explained, I could 'see' Kiseme standing in the background, Sharkskin slung over his shoulder. Almost two years ago, I remember Nightmare freaking me out over fighting him as I was unable to use any more than three jutsu and had a very limited use of ninja weapons.

"You mean 'Knucklehead Ninja Naruto?' You don't have to make it so complicated and professional if we're hunting him down." I couldn't help but talk back to him, as if it were all those years ago, when I was the Uchiha brothers' closest friend and would just hang out with them like we were all of the same family.

Itachi-sama didn't like it, though, and walked off. I had already seen him do this, so I followed his third white shadow as Kiseme walked behind.

_**AN: NejZel Begins! I **_**had **_**to add in Neji's Destiny Speech, though I'm too lazy to look it up, so I had Zel cut him off. **_

_**HAHAHA! Zelkeal's room description next!**_

_**Jazz's part is boring, as is Akumu's, but you get another chapter, so be glad!**_

_**VOTE ON THE POLL! I'm waiting for four votes before I post the next one. I want to know if any of you would enter a 'Who should Jazz fall in love with?' contest. Both writing and drawing would be accepted! If you have any other ideas or if you'll join PM me to let me know!**_


	4. A Scythe

_Triple Threat_

_**AN: Chapter FOUR! Next one's five. Five is going to rule….just cause it does. **_

_**Just Zel and Akumu today, I just wasn't feeling Jazz soo….**_

_**I was just looking over the traffic on this story, 20 people who read it/are reading it! Thanks to all you people who have made me smile!**_

_**I'm glad that people are reading this story, but can't you guys give me any recognition? Four clicks just to let me know about the contest, if you don't have an account yet, then that's alright, but if you do….**_

_**I'm looking for new characters! PM me and the first five will get a new character in the newly infamous Triple Threat! I need them by chapter seven or eight, so start PMing!**_

_First Threat_

Neji stared wide-eyed at my room, his eyes lingering on the wooden bed frame with a mattress covered in a deep red blanket, the multiple shelves of multicolored books and scrolls, and the carved-out space serving as my closet, grey undershirts, red over shirts, netting, and black skirts and leggings hung down from oak hangers.

"It's…" Neji couldn't find the right words, so I got moving. I took my weapon pouch, though it only had two shuriken and three kunai. I walked over to my weapons wall where twelve rare weapons were dangling above the wooden floor. Swords carved into weird, unfamiliar shapes, throwing stars with twelve points and daggers attached by chains. I retrieved my kusarigama from a lower hook, wrapping the chain over my shoulder to make sure the sharp weapon stayed in place. I then slid the four white strips of my own pouch and slid it over my head, evening out the four cloths so they held tight to my waist.

I then went over to my closet and swapped my normal ninja sandals for my preferred ninja boots. They wrapped in black laces up to my knee, my toes sticking out like they had with the sandals. I shrugged off the black jacket and let the ashes land on the floor. Once I had done that, I walked back up to Neji and looked at him.

"This is your home?" He seemed to have regained his composure and had followed me around with his eyes, though he kept looking at the weapons.

"Yeah. Don't worry, their just for show…for anyone who comes in here…I bet I'd hurt myself more than anyone else if I tried using anything other than my kusarigama." I walked past him to one of the higher shelves and looked at the titles on the sides of all the white journals. I grabbed the one titled _Missions of a Kunoichi_, tossing it into my pouch and adding a jar of ink and a brush. "You ready?"

"We don't have to exit through the trunk, do we?" he asked, clearly not wanting to.

"Nope." I went over to the right of my bed, pulling up a door and motioning for him to go through. When he did, I followed him, sliding down the hard, slick earth and out onto a branch halfway down the tree. Where we had entered was about seven branches above us. "C'mon." I grabbed his hand again, leading him in the right direction before dropping it and running behind him.

•••

Jazz had jumped down from the top of the wall, Sakura looking elated at our return.

"Everyone ready?" I asked, hoping they had though of getting prepared while we were out. I was glad when they said they were. "Then let's go." I took off ahead, glad when Neji fell in behind, Jazz and Sakura creating the diamond formation we used when I was travelling with Neji's squad. I turned my head around and spoke to my squad, "Jazz, take the first. He should have a large sword. Move ten kilometers east from us. I will take on the second. Neji, you are to deplete our target of chakra and return her safely. Sakura, be prepared to heal any of your teammates wounds." I then turned my body around, putting my hand down and smiling at Neji, sharing it with Jazz.

Jazz placed her hand down first in a fist, Neji topping it with a flat palm. Sakura took a second to realize what we were doing and placed a fist on top of Neji's. "Break!" Jazz and I called together, Neji and I taking off in different directions. Jazz hesitated, then found her placed about three kilometers back and a kilometer in from Neji. Sakura took even longer before running directly behind me. I laughed at this, moving to the center and taking up my position again. Neji returned next, Jazz and Sakura arriving last.

"Sorry, Sakura, something my squad used to do. Kinda carried it on to Neji's, too." Sakura just seemed moderately confused, nothing more.

_Third Threat_

Itachi didn't seem in a hurry, so I trailed behind him and Kisame. I couldn't see the outline of the trees, as Black Sight only affects humans and animals, so I made sure to run behind Itachi's second shadow, watching it dodge and weave. Once, I was set off balance by a tree trunk and took a minute to find the right branches to climb up to get back behind Itachi.

"Watch yourself." was his only response, but I took it gladly, responding to his caution.

"I will, Itachi-sama. Thank you." I really don't think he expected the courtesy, and I watched him miss a step and almost fall over. Kisame laughed at him, causing a reprimanding that I listened to, enjoying it all. Sharkboy knew just how to get under Itachi-sama's nerves and he was rubbing off on me.

"If you tire him out now, Itachi-sama, he won't have the energy to make it to Konoha. I know _I _don't want to have to listen to him complain. After that, we returned to our triangular formation, Kisame between Itachi-sama and I, but about three feet to the left.

•••

When we finally decided to stop for the night, I was placed on second watch, after Itachi-sama. Any other time I was placed on watch, he made me wake up by myself, though it was usually Nightmare. So when a cold, bony hand shook my shoulder through one of the slits in the long sleeves, my eyes flew open in surprise. He wasn't there; instead he was lying down on his own cot. I nodded in his general direction, then jumped up to the tree branch he had been sitting on. When the Black Sight cleared and I could no longer see the two Akatsuki beneath me, I removed my headband and stared up at the moon. It was almost full and illuminated the clearing, showing that Nightmare was standing on top of my cot.

He pointed the Dead Scythe at me, and an arena of darkness enveloped me. I was used to this place and walked to one of the walls, placing my palm on the chilly black. A large circle of light appeared before detailing to show four shinobi. Two I recognized. I turned towards Nightmare, though he wasn't there, only his scythe. I walked over and reached out to grab it, half expecting it to disintegrate, but my palm clasped around the base. I closed me eyes and sliced through the picture, clearing thee darkness and bringing the Black Sight back to my eyes. I was still holding the scythe while I sat and watched for intruders.

_**AN: Okay, short chapter this time. Five is going to be nice and long for any one who is reading this. I still want to know about the contest and am waiting for PMs. **_

_**Please make Triple Threat more popular! Tell anyone you know who has watched Naruto(and at least knows the characters) to check it out so the story won't just die off!**_

_**Help me make Triple Threat better! Review and PM me ideas and events! Thanks everyone who is awesome enough to be reading this!**_


	5. A Battle

_**AN: Okay. I'm back. Took me long enough. Sorry about the absence, I couldn't write anymore for awhile. **_

_**The plot has completely changed (other than this mission) so I don't know what's gonna happen until I get back into it. My writing has changed a lot, so these probably won't flow as easily. Oh, and the fact that I watched about 100 more episodes since then.**_

_**Telling you now-can't do Kisame. So live with what I did. Sorry. I also learned I've been spelling his name wrong.**_

_**Again, reviews and stuff are appreciated. Just let me know you're still reading. If you want to yell at me for not writing, go ahead. If not, I still want to know who Jazz should fall in love with. **_

_First Threat_

"Never mind, C'mon." I commanded, taking my position back as lead of the diamond shape. Two chakras appeared before me and I removed my kusarigama, the bone-white blade comfortable in my hands. The chain was wrapped around my left palm, ready to rip it back if my opponent were to dodge.

The black of night would make it easier on us to ambush them, but only if my old teammate wasn't on watch. I made a simple hand motion and the group separated, Sakura familiar enough with this movement to find her spot. I created four clones, though they would not be of much help, and forced my chakra into one of them, circling the camp before launching my kusarigama at my black-jacketed target. A black scythe blocked my weapon's path, however, and I pulled it back to my grasp with the chain. Akumu stood in front of the Uchiha, challenging me, but Neji appeared from behind, trying to hit her with his Gentle Fist. By this time, my target had woken up, and the other had begun to. Akumu turned to face Neji, but he was gone before she could trap him in her Nightmare jutsu.

Itachi rose to his feet, his Sharingan already in place and his gaze searching out my figure. His eyesight made it easy to spot the real me, and he attempted to catch me in his gaze, but I disappeared into another clone as the one disintegrated. Two more took its place as he again tried to capture me in his jutsu. I blew out a puff of flames, forcing the shark-like man awake. Jazz appeared then, in a gust of wind that caused her enemy to stagger before she forced him out with the same wind.

I dropped to the grass now, confronting Itachi. I surrounded him in clones and simultaneously attacked with flame, but he dodged, trapping me in his Mangekyo Sharingan. "Nice try." I huffed, exploding the place in flames. I had been fortunate enough to switch clones just as he had trapped me, so I could attack without injuring myself, as well. The Uchiha released my clone, staggering from the unexpected attack. I threw my kusarigama at him, the blade wrapping around his arms, forcing them to his body as he collapsed on the ground.

"Not so easy, is it?" I asked as I placed my foot on his body. "All clear here." I spoke clearly into the speaker attached to my neck. I fell forward when the man beneath me burst into ravens, which I clearly wasn't expecting as a kunai whisked across the netting on my arm, drawing blood forth. I winced in pain, holding the wound in my left hand. He appeared in front of me, attacking with a fireball that I tried to counter, though his was much more planned and I felt the heat of it. I moved to a different clone, but the wound followed me-one of the imperfections of this jutsu. Three kunai came at me from different angles, destroying my other clones. I jumped to avoid them, but one lodged itself in my leg, causing me to fall onto another tree branch. If I didn't get away soon, this wouldn't be a battle I got away alive from, and I only hoped I bought Neji enough time.

_Second Threat_

Kisame removed his humungous blade from his back, following me from the clearing willingly as I blew threw the trees. I stopped a few kilometers away, as instructed. I took out three senbon and threw them at Kisame, but he blocked them with his sword.

"That's quite a large blade. Sure you can wield it?" I taunted, grinning.

"I can do more than wield it!" He exclaimed, swinging it swiftly towards me, but only going through the wind. I appeared behind him, but his follow-through caught my five other senbon. I flipped through the air to land in front of him, but had to return to the wind when he struck out again with Sharkskin. Once again, he tried to hit me with it, but this time I couldn't react fast enough and it hit me in the side. _Why didn't I dodge?_ Kisame, with his black beady eyes, attacked from above, his giant sword digging into my shoulder. The wind had whisked around me, but I didn't dissipate with it. _What's happening?_

Kisame must have noticed my confusion, and decided to explain. Well, somewhat explain. "Losing chakra? That's Sharkskin's ability. Can't run away now, can you?" He taunted.

"Nope, but soon you won't be able to, either." I retorted, materializing the violin into my hand and pulling the bow from my back. My chakra didn't affect my speed, so I was able to dodge his next attack. I began playing from a tree branch, the first notes of the sweet song blurring his vision. This was easy to notice as her attacked off to my right, his reaction pure surprise when I didn't even move. As the song progressed, however, he began to blink continuously, and I knew his vision had become even worse. He had stopped attacking and was looking around when his eyes locked with mine. "Lullaby Jutsu." I called as he collapsed to the grass. I lodged three senbon into his neck, knowing he'd be paralyzed for awhile, and sat on a branch, observing him while I waited for the all clear.

_Third Threat_

I followed the boy, knowing Itachi could handle Zelkeal. Their powers were similar, but Itachi far surpassed her, even now. Nightmare had been keeping me informed. The boy-Hyuga Neji- tried to sap my chakra once again, but I dropped down, so he didn't hit me. I let him lead me quite a ways from the group before he turned to face me. My hand was already in the position to trap Neji in a Nightmare Jutsu, but he was gone, above me. I moved away, watching his shadows to dodge his attacks, though it was like he saw mine, too. We moved in unison for a while, reminding me of when I trained with the Uchihas.

The scythe has shattered when I began running, but I could see its outline now, a few feet from my opponent. I launched myself to it, wrapping my pale fingers around it and pulling it from the tree bark. Neji's form shifted into a defensive position, clearly not knowing my horrible knowledge of the weapon. I swung it out at him anyways, shifting the blade's movement slightly to acknowledge his movement. I heard him gasp as I nicked his leg, but only barely.

My follow-through was my weakness, and Neji picked up on this almost instantly. His palm hit my wrist, and I could feel myself weaken as he continued to sap my chakra. Suddenly, the onslaught halted, and I saw Nightmare standing in front of me, stopping his hand so I could summon all my strength and trap him in a dark, endless dream that would only bring pain. Nightmare's red, glowing eyes were all that I was left with as he took his scythe and disappeared, but his gaze was enough to let me know I had failed him.

_First Threat_

Blood ran down my face and blurred my vision. I tried to attack yet again with a fireball jutsu, but Itachi remained unscathed. I felt for my speaker, rasping the simple question into it. "Neji, have you captured her yet?" I didn't know if he could hear me, but I never got a response. I looked past the Uchiha to my kusarigama, which was lodged, blood-splattered, in a tree. He stood there, challenging me with those cold eyes. I tried to stare back, but the crimson liquid kept causing me to blink my left eye constantly.

Suddenly, my opponent was ripped from my vision, a giant white wolf standing over him, his saber fangs dug deep into Itachi's shoulder, his bright amber eyes meeting mine. _Shiromaru…_ Now that I knew I wouldn't be killed right here, right now, I let the darkness pull me under, loosing all feeling, glad the pain had gone.

_**AN: End of Chapter Five. This would have been as great as I wanted it to be if I had written it a few months ago, but I will accept ideas for future plots. **_

_**Hope this was as good as you remembered it.**_


	6. A Failure

_**AN: Getting back into this.**_

_First Threat_

"Zel, Zel, wake up." The sharp jerking of my shoulder racked my brain and sent shocks of pain throughout my body. After a minute or two, the shaking became too irritating and I snapped my eyes open. The rush of blurry colors forced me to squeeze them close again. Slowly, I opened them and my vision lined up so I could see Jazz and Sakura above me a green light glowing in Sakura's palms. I tried to sit up, but I could only prop myself up on my elbows, taking in the scene before me.

Shiromaru was sitting against a tree trunk, his sleek silvery fur spotted with red. His eyes were locked on mine, clearly mad that I had not invited the over-sized wolf along. Neji was slumped against another tree, clearly exhausted and distraught. Jazz looked perfectly fine, and was elated that I had woken up. Sakura looked even more worried, though she hadn't been in a battle. After a minute of making sure I wasn't going to pass out again, I had to ask. "Where's Akumu?"

"She got away. I was attacking her when a big black cloud of darkness stopped my attack and I just lost all control. I woke up an hour or two later on the ground." Neji explained.

"That must have been Nightmare, Akumu's 'other half'. I didn't know she still talked to him. So the mission was a failure." My voice dropped, clearly letting them know I was upset. Neji looked away, Shiromaru still trying to match my gaze.

"Yes, you have failed yet again, Zel-kun." The grave voice that reached my ears caused me to smirk as my sensei appeared from behind a tree. His teal hair was pulled back in a ponytail, the string holding it back tipped with two feathers. His bangs hung in his face, accenting his silvery eyes.

"All my other failures were caused by your ignorance." I grinned, watching as Jazz sat back, an even wider grin on her face. "Akane-sensei came to check up on us after he heard we were going after the Akatsuki. He was too late, though." She giggled as he put his hand on top of her hair, ruffling the long strands. She ducked away, lifting his hair in a frozen breeze. He laughed, letting her go before crouching down behind me, leaning his head over my face-much to my annoyance.

I had gotten enough strength back and got shakily to my feet. Akane stood too, as did Jazz and Sakura. The pink-haired kunoichi had clasped her hands together, looking out of place. I then realized something that brought heat to my fingertips. "Where were you during my fight!" I demanded, a spark of flame sprouting from my mouth, only to dissipate into the air. "You were supposed to have my back and you let me lose! If not for Shiromaru, I'd be dead!" I exclaimed, whipping my hand out in front of me, a trail of fire following the movement. I knew the air around me had begun to heat up, but let it, knowing any sane person would be running away. Surprisingly, everyone held their ground, Sakura looking only slightly nervous.

Akane's hand came swift on my shoulder, stopping me in my stride. I looked up to see his stern face, his right hand performing a multitude of hand signs before four steel golems held me down. I sneered, letting flame loose from my palms, the golems taking the damage, though it did not injure their knight-like bodies. "Sakura was busy with me. I wanted to show you just how to beat an Uchiha, but she kept me from interrupting your battle while I was wounded." Akane-sensei interjected, letting me see the long scar that cut across his arm. It was clear to see that at one point, it had been deep.

"How about you, was your mission successful?" I taunted, knowing he was touchy with his Anbu missions.

"Actually, it was." He grinned. Seeing my calm personality return, he waved the golems off and they turned to dust as he ended the jutsu. "Are you ready to go back?" He asked, ready to take off into the trees.

"Oh, I'm feeling much better now, and Jazz looks fine. I was thinking we'd go and get our old teammate back since they're already weakened." I stared him down. He met my gaze, contemplating.

"Sakura, take Neji and go back to Konoha. Tell Lady Tsunade that I'll be returning back with my own team. If we're not back in a week, send a rescue team." Akane-sensei commanded and I smiled. Sakura looked ready to object, as did Neji, but Jazz chimed in with a laugh.

"You aren't gonna mess with Akane-sensei, are you?" Her smile showed it all. I remember when I disagreed with my sensei on a mission. I ended up locked in a birdcage for the rest of the day. He had even made a joke of it and tried to feed me birdseed. Not fun. Neji took the hint and nodded, standing next to Akane and waiting for Sakura to follow him. _Thank you Neji, you just saved us from a _long _argument. _

"Let's go save, Akumu." Akane said simply, taking off in the opposite direction, following the trails of chakra.

_Third Threat_

Itachi had arrived shortly after I had gotten away. His stance made him look highly upset, and I could tell he had used up quite a bit of his chakra, though the look of his clothing made it look like he had never even fought. _That's Zel for ya. _He had walked right past me, though I had been sitting, panting, under a tree. Kisame followed behind, his sword swung up on his shoulder. He was walking as if he had been asleep. _And that's Jazz._

We were travelling now, quite slowly. No one had said anything yet and I was getting bored. I had nothing to do, though, until I realized we were heading in the opposite direction. "Aren't we going after Naruto?" Itachi kept walking. "Anyone? Really? Hello? Itachi-sama?" I kept up the persistent questions. Eventually one of them would snap and cause _something _to happen.

"We'll get him later." The sentence was cold. I was tempted to keep pestering. I gave in to temptation.

"Too weak to face a little kid, Itachi-sama?" I smiled, ready to fight back. He kept walking though, but I heard Kisame chuckle. "Hey, if you guys aren't, I am." I turned, as if to head to Konoha, but was flung back into a tree as Itachi attacked. Not surprisingly, I didn't see his attack. I stood up on a branch, holding my shoulder which was mostly likely cracked, if not shattered. I'd deal with it later. "That's all?" I knew I shouldn't be egging him on, but I was so used to it, considering I had done the same to teach him years ago. He ignored it, though, his amount of patience scaring me. Kisame was once again chuckling. Within a few more minutes, he dropped down out of the trees and into a small clearing.

"Set up here." He ordered, the irritation hidden beneath his voice. Kisame and I got to work, and I was prepared to take first watch, though Itachi told me I would not be on guard tonight. _My work earlier must not have been adequate. _It was unusual for us to stop again so soon, but we all faced strong shinobi and needed to rest.

_**AN: I'm totally getting back into this. I'm two-for-two, considering I wrote Chapter 5 yesterday, too. Don't expect them so close together now, but its getting interesting, so expect one or two by next weekend.**_

_**For those of you who read Crescent Moon, too, I'm writing it again thanks to your wondrous reviews. Thanks!**_


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